Do you and your guests only have a short amount of time in the happiest place on earth? Perhaps a member of your party doesn’t want to spend hours walking around from place to place and is craving as many fast passes as possible? Then Disney VIP Tours are for you! I recently went to Walt Disney World Resort with my best friends Meghan and Krystyn for a girls trip and I was so excited to be a guest of Meghan’s during her Ultimate Day of Thrills Disney VIP Tour. If you’re wondering what’s included in the tour, or how many attractions there are, I’ll take you through our entire day to show you what you’ll experience! Plus, check out what you should be packing for your trip here with my Complete Packing List for Walt Disney World Resort!
Disney VIP Tour Check-in
Starting promptly at 8:30am, you will enter Magic Kingdom using your Park Hopper ticket (it’s not included in the tour). Walk down Main Street, U.S.A. towards the Tomorrowland Terrace and keep your eyes peeled for friendly guides dressed in VIP plaid directing you to the meet-up spot. There, you will check-in!
After meeting your guides, you’ll receive a VIP lanyard, with a colored dot. This tells you what “team” you’ll be on that day. There are about 10 guests per tour guide. As you can see, we were on the Green team!
During check-in, you’ll find complimentary waters, juices, granola bars and coffees. It pays to check in a little early so you can enjoy your morning snacks while other guests arrive. You are encouraged to take a bottle of water and a snack bar with you on the tour. I tossed one of each in my Disney D&B crossbody bag!
Magic Kingdom Attractions
Now the fun starts! You’ll cross over the Main Street hub into Adventureland with your VIP Tour Guide, and start weaving your way to the attractions. Your guide will allow access to the rides into the Fast Pass lane, no scanning required. Be sure to keep your lanyard visible at all time in case you get separated from the group in a crowd. Before boarding each attraction, the guide will tell the attraction cast member how many and take a group count. After each ride, your guide will be waiting as you exit to take you to the next Fast Pass line. If, for some reason, you don’t want to experience an attraction (say you get motion sickness and would like to skip Star Tours), your guide will wait with you while the rest of the party rides. He or She will also hold shopping bags, backpacks, etc. for you! The last thing you want to do is lose your new Mickey Ears on Space Mountain!
Pirates of the Caribbean
Splash Mountain – potty breaks are a great stop after Splash Mountain… there’s something about all that rushing water that makes you have to GO!
Haunted Mansion
Water and Snack Break in Liberty Square
You’ll be able to meet up with the group in Liberty Square after riding Haunted Mansion. We were able to grab a Magic Shot with our Memory Maker (see above!!), have another potty break, waters and even sit down before trekking into Fantasyland for:
Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train
Space Mountain
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
We had an odd number of riders for Space Ranger Spin, so Angela, our fantastic godmother of a Tour Guide, rode with me. She was a great shot and got tons of points. We were immediate friends!
After finishing out all the thrill rides in the Magic Kingdom, we exited through a Cast Members Only exit, and asked not to take any photos of backstage. We boarded an air-conditioned 15-passenger van (complete with car seats, if necessary!) and headed to Epcot!
Lunch and Epcot Attractions
Time for a lunch break! Our tour headed to Sunshine Terrace, a quick service spot with plenty of choices for everyone and lots of seating. While past VIP tours have been at table service restaurants, I didn’t miss the swap. Our entire meal was included in the tour price (drink, entrée and dessert) and Angela, our Tour Guide, made it easy to check out and sit down. Plus, our restaurant was only steps away from our next attraction…
Soarin’ Around the World – the new film is heavenly! While I do miss the orange groves of Florida, there are some amazing hidden Mickeys that made me squeal!
Test Track – don’t forget to arrange your car just right before taking off at almost 70 mph around the test track. Smile for the camera!
Hollywood Studios Attractions
Tower of Terror
Aerosmith – Aerosmith is usually included on the Hollywood Studios portion of the Tour, but just two days before our tour took place, it went down for routine maintenance. I’m sure to ride it again before the end of the year, fresh as ever!
Toy Story Midway Mania – This was the last ride on our tour, and we were so sad to say goodbye to Angela! We all took some fun photos down the PIXAR street before loading in to the ride. She gave us some great hugs as we boarded and finished out our day of thrills.
After the ride, we still had the entire night ahead of us, so we rode some more attractions, had some yummy Mickey Ice Cream bars and got a peek at the new Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Fireworks, Projections and Lasershow. If you’re a Star Wars fan, you MUST see it.
The Ultimate Day of Thrills is $299 plus tax per person, and there are set availability dates. Rides are, of course, subject to closures and refurbishment (we weren’t able to visit Animal Kingdom because Dinosaur was currently closed; we rode Test Track at Epcot instead). Guests should be over the age of 7 and the tour lasts from 8:30am to about 4-4:30pm. Remember, you will also need to have a Park Hopper ticket to attend the tour, and they will scan you as you are dropped off in the final park. If you desire more personalized attention, there are also private tour options where your party (up to 10 people) can have a personal guide through all the parks to help snag dining reservations, parade viewing spots, and anything thing your heart desires to make your trip more magical (just ask… the keys to the kingdom are yours!) .
If I ever get the chance to take another tour, I’ll opt for the Family VIP Tour option to see the best of the Magic Kingdom with my two small kids. I think that your money is well spent if you are on a tight timetable and have a large to-do list at the Resort.
I think the VIP tour is the way to go! I can’t imagine doing it another way!
I can’t wait to go on another one! Would be so great with little ones.
working on planning ny daughters 18th birthday may 4-8th in disney orlando. We have been many times over the years. She would like to be in a parade and make the event magical. What are your unique ideas and must dos? Also where do you get you best Disney-ish apparel?
I have SO many ideas for you! If you want to be IN a parade, there may not be an option for you. Harmony Barber Shop will give her pixie dusted hair style (make reservations). I love getting my shirts from the Disney Store and of course, the Magic Kingdom Emporium, where everything is special! Please ask me more of these questions here: https://disneyparksmomspanel.disney.go.com/meet-the-moms/panelist/lindsey-p-416/ I’m on the official Moms Panel!